Grey's Boss on That Split: 'Don't Think for a Minute Their Love Story Is Over'

Fling-happy Grey’s Anatomyknows its way around hit-and-run romances, so it’s saying something that we suffered a severe case of whiplash when the show pulled Arizona and Carina (new cast member Stefania Spampinato) apart so soon after pairing them up. And as if to remove any and all ambiguity about the permanence of the breakup, Grey’s immediately sent Carina into the suddenly single arms of Owen. Well, according to co-showrunner Krista Vernoff, the end of Arizona and Carina’s affair is actually just the beginning of a longer, more complicated story arc for the characters.

“Carina’s not over Arizona,” Vernoff maintains to TVLine ahead of Thursday’s fall finale (8/7c, ABC). “People have commitment issues in the world and Arizona happens to be one of those people. And Carina also happens to be one of those people. And there’s a lot of fun to be had looking at that down the line. But don’t think for a minute that love story is over.”

Regarding Carina’s dalliance with Owen, Vernoff notes, “Carina is bisexual. I think it’s important for network television to recognize that bisexuality exists. And Arizona broke up with Carina before Carina moved on with Owen, which I also thought was important to make clear.”

For her part, Jessica Capshaw admits she’s not in any rush to see her alter ego settle down. “You’ve seen her married and you’ve seen her go through a lot of really challenging circumstances,” the actress shares, “so the idea of [her] being in flirty, ephemeral relationships might be fun.” (With reporting by Jean Bentley)